If you’re reading this, you must have noticed that the bulletin is longer than it used to be. The company that prints our bulletin, J. S. Paluch, has kindly given us up to four more pages in the bulletin (at no cost to us). We’ll be using this for more announcements, information, and resources, as well as the weekly Pastor’s Message. The Pastor’s Message will be used to talk about things going on at St. Cletus as well as the Universal Church, to teach the faith, or to talk about whatever’s on my mind. I’m open to suggested topics for my bulletin article, or to answering questions about the Bible and Catholicism. If you want to send in a question or suggested topic you can email me at bhoward@arch-no.org or bring it in to the office.
I was born at Charity Hospital in New Orleans on November 14, 1983, and I was baptized at St. Agnes Catholic Church on Jefferson Highway. I grew up in Metairie, and my home parish for most of that time was St. Clement of Rome Catholic Church with Msgr. Ralph Carroll as pastor. I attended public school, but I attended CCD (religion class) at St. Clement, which is where I made my First Communion and Confirmation. Some people are surprised that a priest would come out of the public schools, but this shows how important it is for families to live the faith at home. We went to Mass together every Sunday and Holy Day of Obligation, prayed together at home, and practiced the faith. Catholic school is valuable in helping to form children in the faith and especially in helping form habits of prayer and works of charity in the Catholic tradition, but the parents are the primary educators of their children in the faith. I graduated from Grace King High School in 2003 and was accepted as a seminarian for the Archdiocese of New Orleans by Archbishop Hughes. I studied at St. Joseph Seminary College at St. Joseph Abbey in Covington from 2003 to 2007. I attended Major Seminary at Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans until 2011. I did summer assignments at St. Benilde Catholic Church and Most Holy Trinity Catholic Church and my internship at St. Ann Catholic Church. I was ordained a deacon on July 31, 2010, by Archbishop Aymond, and I was ordained a preist on June 4, 2011, also by Archbishop Aymond.
My first assignment as a priest was to be Parochial Vicar at Visitation of Our Lady Catholic Church in Marrero, where I served with Fr. Michael Kettenring for two years. In 2013, I was moved to Divine Mercy Catholic Church in Kenner as Parochial Vicar with Fr. David Dufour. I was there for three years, until, in 2016, I was transferred to St. Peter Catholic Church in Covington as Parochial Vicar with Fr. Otis Young. I was only there for one year when I was named Pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in Violet, LA. I served there for five years. Now, I’ve been named the Pastor of St. Cletus Catholic Church here in Gretna, and I hope to be here for a long time. I’m very happy to be here and get to know our church and school communities. I promise to pray for all the parishioners of St. Cletus, the staff and students at our school, and the school families. I ask you to pray for me as well. The job of a pastor is to care for the souls in his parish; pray for me to grow in holiness, so that I can help you to grow in holiness, as well.